Spanning the lifetime of operation, an aircraft will experience repeated and harsh conditions resulting in degradation of component parts of the aircraft. Such degradation may take the form of, for example, corrosion and subsequent metal fatigue and fracture. Corrosion can contribute to a decrease in the integrity and strength of aircraft components. More specifically, a material system, such as an aircraft component, includes a fuselage or skin panels, a coated lap joint between two metal panels, or a wing-to-fuselage assembly on the exterior of an aircraft. Material systems may corrode over time due to exposure to mechanical and chemical stresses during use of the aircraft. Before a material is determined to be suitable for use as an aircraft material system, it may be desirable to determine the material system's propensity to corrode. However, performance of aircraft material systems, such as panels, during actual, real world use of the aircraft seldom correlates with corrosion testing data.
Furthermore, a corrosion testing procedure of a material system comprises spraying the material system with a salt solution in a chamber. Assessment of the extent of corrosion of the material system involves stopping the corrosion procedure and removing the material system from the chamber for visual inspection to determine the extent of corrosion.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for material systems, apparatus, and methods for controlled and accurate exposure and corrosion detection for determining operational performance of material systems.